British illustrator Jemma Chapman started Toonie Stamps as a way to commemorate her time in Toronto — now, her art is gaining popularity
As part of a love letter to Toronto, a British artist is in the process of installing several small vending machines around the city, all of which are stocked full of Toronto-inspired stamps that cost $2.
The project, aptly named Toonie Stamps, is a way for architect and illustrator Jemma Chapman, a U.K. native, to commemorate her travels in Toronto.
Though the stamps are not authorized by Canada Post and cannot be used for mail, Chapman’s work depicts the charm of the city’s many landmarks, from Allan Gardens to local favourites like Primrose Bagels.
Chapman moved to Toronto in January 2025 on a temporary visa. As she explored the city, she began illustrating her favourite discoveries.
“One day, I decided I want to digitalize these [illustrations] and make a poster, so when I go back to the U.K., I can put it up in my lounge and it will be a nice reminder of my time here,” she told TorontoToday.
In October, Chapman shared her art on social media and to her surprise, hundreds of strangers engaged with her post, with several asking if they could buy an illustration.
Recognizing an opportunity, Chapman decided to turn the commemorative art practice into a city-wide art project.
“I wanted to find a way to encourage people to explore the city of Toronto and fall in love with it like I have,” she said.
Though Chapman also sells her illustrations online, she wanted to find a way to make them accessible to locals.
She purchased several secondhand chewing gum vending machines on Facebook Marketplace and converted them into “art dispensers” filled with her stamps.
Then she began looking for places to put the mini machines. Fortunately, she wasn’t the only person who believed in the project.
In January, Golden Horseshoe Barbecue on Dupont Street agreed to install the first dispenser inside the restaurant.
In March, Toronto’s First Post Office, a functional post office and historical museum on Adelaide Street East, installed the second.
The Toonie Stamps dispenser at Toronto’s First Post Office at 260 Adelaide St. E. Emma Johnston-Wheeler/TorontoToday
The museum coordinator of Toronto’s First Post Office, Rebecca Rizzo, said Chapman’s stamps compliment the museum because they promote a lot of smaller, lesser known buildings within Old Town and across the city.
Chapman recently installed a pop-up dispenser at Toronto’s annual Artist Project art fair, and plans to install four more across the city this summer — though she said she can’t disclose the locations yet.
Rizzo said as more vending machines are installed, visitors to Toronto’s First Post Office can treat the art as part of a scavenger hunt, finding each location around the city to collect all of the stamps.
Jemma Chapman with her Toonie Stamps vending machine at the Artist Project art fair on March 29, 2026. Emma Johnston-Wheeler/TorontoToday
Illustrating the Toronto experience
Chapman has now illustrated dozens of stamp designs that capture the Toronto experience, featuring not only landmarks but also popular foods, sports teams and cultural symbols, like the Toronto raccoon.
Though many of Chapman’s Toronto discoveries are documented through her stamp illustrations, one of her favourite city identifiers is the Toronto Raptors. Chapman said she loves the passionate sports scene in Toronto, which she has tried to capture in her illustrations.
Next month, Chapman will be launching a themed set of stamps titled Canadian Snacks in collaboration with the Daily Bread Food Bank. The illustrations will depict some of her favourite snacks that she’s discovered since moving to Toronto.
Half the proceeds from the collection ($1 per stamp) will be donated to the food bank.
Chapman said it’s her way of supporting a cause that is dear to Toronto, and a way to say thank you for her experiences in the city.
A resurgence of physical media
An extension of the Toonie Stamps project is a monthly mail club, called Love Letters From Toronto, in which subscribers receive illustrated maps of Toronto neighbourhoods, a handwritten letter, stickers and stationery items.
Chapman said she currently sends out about 120 packages a month “as a way to connect people outside Toronto with the project,” though she noted there are subscribers who live in the city too.
Love Letters From Toronto packages contain illustrated maps of Toronto neighbourhoods. Supplied: Jemma Chapman
Chapman said it’s special that her letters are received by “snail mail” rather than through digital messaging, and the same principle applies to her stamp vending machines.
“Physical media in any form is really important, especially in a world where AI and computers are just in abundance,” she said. “I think that’s why my project has captured so many people — there’s a tactility and physicality to it and a connection to the real world.”